- A
Create IAM roles in the testing and production accounts that grant CodeDeploy permissions, and configure the pipeline to assume those roles using the CodePipeline cross-account action.
Cross-account roles are the standard way to allow a pipeline in one account to deploy to another.
- B
Establish VPC peering between the accounts and allow the pipeline to communicate directly with CodeDeploy in the other accounts.
Why wrong: VPC peering does not provide cross-account access to CodeDeploy.
- C
Create IAM users in testing and production accounts with programmatic access, and configure the pipeline to use those credentials.
Why wrong: IAM users are not recommended for cross-account automation; roles are preferred.
- D
Use AWS Organizations to create a shared service and grant the pipeline full access to all accounts.
Why wrong: Organizations does not automatically grant cross-account access; roles are still needed.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to create IAM roles in the testing and production accounts that grant CodeDeploy permissions, and configure the pipeline to assume those roles using the CodePipeline cross-account action. This works because CodePipeline uses role-based access rather than user credentials; by specifying a trust policy that allows the pipeline’s execution role in the development account to assume a deployment role in each target account, you enable secure, temporary cross-account access for CodeDeploy actions. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the cross-account action type in CodePipeline, which requires the role ARN from the target account—a common trap is confusing this with IAM users (which cannot be used programmatically by pipelines) or assuming AWS Organizations automatically grants cross-account permissions. Remember the memory tip: “Roles, not users, for cross-account pipelines—trust the ARN, not the account.”
DOP-C02 SDLC Automation Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of sdlc automation. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company uses multiple AWS accounts: one for development, one for testing, and one for production. They want to implement a CI/CD pipeline using AWS CodePipeline that deploys the same application to all three accounts. The source code is stored in a CodeCommit repository in the development account. The pipeline should first build the application, then deploy to development, then after approval, deploy to testing, and finally after another approval, deploy to production. The deployment uses AWS CodeDeploy to deploy to EC2 instances in each account. The pipeline will be created in the development account. Which configuration will allow the pipeline to deploy to the testing and production accounts?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"first"Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Create IAM roles in the testing and production accounts that grant CodeDeploy permissions, and configure the pipeline to assume those roles using the CodePipeline cross-account action.
Option C is correct because using cross-account roles allows the pipeline in the development account to assume a role in the target accounts to perform deployments. The pipeline can use the CodePipeline cross-account action with a role ARN. Option A is wrong because IAM users cannot be used programmatically by CodePipeline. Option B is wrong because VPC peering is not relevant to cross-account permissions. Option D is wrong because AWS Organizations does not grant cross-account access automatically.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Create IAM roles in the testing and production accounts that grant CodeDeploy permissions, and configure the pipeline to assume those roles using the CodePipeline cross-account action.
Why this is correct
Cross-account roles are the standard way to allow a pipeline in one account to deploy to another.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Establish VPC peering between the accounts and allow the pipeline to communicate directly with CodeDeploy in the other accounts.
Why it's wrong here
VPC peering does not provide cross-account access to CodeDeploy.
- ✗
Create IAM users in testing and production accounts with programmatic access, and configure the pipeline to use those credentials.
Why it's wrong here
IAM users are not recommended for cross-account automation; roles are preferred.
- ✗
Use AWS Organizations to create a shared service and grant the pipeline full access to all accounts.
Why it's wrong here
Organizations does not automatically grant cross-account access; roles are still needed.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which DOP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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SDLC Automation — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DOP-C02 question test?
SDLC Automation — This question tests SDLC Automation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create IAM roles in the testing and production accounts that grant CodeDeploy permissions, and configure the pipeline to assume those roles using the CodePipeline cross-account action. — Option C is correct because using cross-account roles allows the pipeline in the development account to assume a role in the target accounts to perform deployments. The pipeline can use the CodePipeline cross-account action with a role ARN. Option A is wrong because IAM users cannot be used programmatically by CodePipeline. Option B is wrong because VPC peering is not relevant to cross-account permissions. Option D is wrong because AWS Organizations does not grant cross-account access automatically.
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which DOP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
3 more ways this is tested on DOP-C02
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company has a multi-account AWS environment with separate accounts for development, staging, and production. They want to implement a CI/CD pipeline that deploys to each account sequentially after manual approvals. Which setup allows cross-account deployment with CodePipeline?
hard- ✓ A.Create an IAM role in the target account with permissions for the pipeline service role to assume, and use that role in the deployment action.
- B.Create separate pipelines in each account and trigger them via SNS from a master pipeline.
- C.Use CodePipeline with cross-account actions by specifying the target account ID and region.
- D.Use a single pipeline in the management account with different stages for each account.
Why A: Cross-account deployment requires an IAM role in the target account that the pipeline can assume. Option D is correct.
Variation 2. Which THREE steps are required to set up a cross-account CodePipeline that deploys to an EC2 instance in a target account? (Choose three.)
hard- ✓ A.Create an IAM role in the target account with permissions to deploy to EC2.
- ✓ B.Add a trust policy to the target account role allowing the pipeline account to assume it.
- ✓ C.Grant the pipeline service role permission to assume the target account role.
- D.Configure the pipeline to use the target account's default KMS key for artifacts.
- E.Create a CodePipeline in the target account.
Why A: A: The pipeline needs an IAM role to assume in the target account. C: The target account must trust the pipeline account to allow role assumption. D: The pipeline service role must have permission to assume the target role. B is not required because the pipeline can be in the source account. E is not required because the pipeline uses the assumed role, not the target account's pipeline.
Variation 3. Which THREE steps are required to set up a cross-account CI/CD pipeline where the source stage is in Account A (CodeCommit) and the deploy stage is in Account B (ECS)? (Choose 3.)
medium- ✓ A.Create an IAM role in Account B that the pipeline in Account A can assume for the deploy action.
- B.Configure an AWS KMS key in Account B and share it with Account A for encrypting artifacts.
- ✓ C.Update the CodePipeline service role in Account A to include a trust policy that allows assuming the role in Account B.
- ✓ D.Create a resource-based policy on the CodeCommit repository in Account B that grants access to the CodePipeline service role in Account A.
- E.Create an S3 bucket in Account B to store the artifacts and grant cross-account access.
Why A: Options A, B, and D are correct. Option A provides cross-account access for CodePipeline in Account A to pull source from Account B. Option B is necessary for the pipeline to deploy to Account B. Option D ensures the pipeline can assume the execution role in Account B. Option C is wrong because KMS keys are not required for cross-account pipelines unless encryption is used. Option E is wrong because S3 buckets are not required for CodeCommit source.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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